How to Hook Up a 2nd TV to Dish Network

Written by jack gorman| 13/05/2017

Run more than one television off your Dish Network. (Satellite dish image by Scrivener from Fotolia.com)

So you're looking to install a second television onto your Dish Network satellite television service. While installing a second television onto a cable line is fairly simple work, satellite dishes are more difficult. In order to install a second dish, you must run a direct line either from the dish itself or from a specialised satellite splitter that you can only get from Dish Network.

Inspect your system. To determine if your satellite system is prepared to install a second TV, see if there are two lines coming out of the dish. If not, you will need to replace your dish with one enabled with a double LNB. The LNB is the part of the dish that actually receives the signals; with only a single, you can only install one television no matter what. Call an installer to replace the dish; more than likely, if you are adding another television, you can get this done for free.

Trace the two lines coming out of the dish and see where they go. If there is one that isn't connected to anything, skip to Step 4. If both lead to a satellite splitter, proceed to Step 3.

Connect your coaxial cable to one of the outputs on the splitter. These will be labelled as such. Insert the pin from the cable into the output, then twist the cable end to secure the wire in place.

Run the cable (from the dish or the output on the splitter) to your satellite receiver. Connect the wire to the Satellite input on your satellite receiver.

Connect the RCA cables to the RCA audio/video outputs on your satellite receiver. These will be yellow, red and white. Install them according to the colour coding. Then insert the other ends of the wires into the RCA audio/video inputs on your second TV, again minding the colour coding.

Set your second TV to receive a signal from the satellite receiver. Use your television's remote by pressing a button labelled something like "Source" or "TV/Video." Check your television's manual if you have any problems with this.